Technical assistance to enhance data demand and use at GOU subnational level with focus on community health data, Kampala, Uganda (11 Months)

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Uganda is one of the over 190 countries and territories around the world where we work to overcome the obstacles that poverty, violence, disease, and discrimination place in a child’s path. Together with the Government of Uganda and partners we work towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals, the objectives of the Uganda National Development Plan, and the planned outcomes of the United Nations Development Assistance Framework.

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Background and Purpose

The National Development Plan III implemented by the Government of Uganda (2021-2025) advocates for integration of services as a key component. Community level health promotion and prevention programs are national priorities for the health sector with the universal health coverage (UHC) goal aligned to Government of Uganda’s (GOU) Vision 2040. By 2025, the GOU and stakeholders at national and subnational level aim to achieve an increased capacity to sustainably provide an integrated package of quality health services across the life continuum. Such improvements in service delivery are facilitated by evidence-based decisions enhanced by quality data.

A strong community health system is key in delivering high quality and equitable health services, particularly to vulnerable and rural communities. The MOH has supported the Village Health Team (VHT) model since 2001. VHTs work with Ugandan communities to mobilize and sensitize households to actively participate in their own health promotion, disease prevention and utilization of health services. VHTs are highly relevant during this global pandemic and are at the foundation of the national community engagement strategy (CES) that was launched by the Office of the Prime Minister in October 2020, as part of the GOU COVID-19 response. Quality data emerging from VHTs and other community structures is essential to understanding service delivery at the last mile as a means to achieve universal health coverage and to resolve future pandemics. Data from VHTs is collected via HMIS Form 097b and transmitted to the health facility where they are collated and entered into the District Health Information Systems II (DHIS2). DHIS2 is a free, open-source software for national health management information systems (HMIS) that was adopted in 2011 in Uganda. It is a flexible, web based, scalable HMIS solution, enabling data entry, management, validation, analysis and visualization of aggregate and individual level data. The MOH is finalizing one VHT monitoring activity book as a reporting tool that will facilitate VHT household data collection on a more frequent basis (weekly and monthly).

UNICEF is implementing the iCoHS initiative funded by the Rockefeller Foundation. iCoHS aims to strengthen Uganda’s community health system by supporting governance, enabling digital technology and ensuring improved community health information systems and heightened use of community level data to facilitate integrated health service delivery that will yield better maternal and child health outcomes. UNICEF supports the Ministry of Health, particularly in 29 districts of focus. Working together with MOH to strengthen both health systems and health information systems is a key priority.

Justification

UNICEF aims to strengthen health systems by facilitating evidence-based decisions at national and subnational levels by optimizing community level data use for routine health management and for the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, currently at a heightened level of community transmission. During Uganda’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been vital to ensure that essential health services continued, especially for vulnerable communities.

The Continuity of Essential Health Services (CEHS) pillar, part of the GOU incident management structure for pandemic response, developed a core list of indicators to be tracked to ensure monitoring of access and utilization of services. Some of these indicators are visualized as a CEHS app, which will soon sit on the DHIS2. The CEHS app produces data analytics and visualization that supports actionable data insights about a range of health indicators covering data from January 2018. Efforts are in place, currently, to integrate existing community level data into the CEHS app.

Objectives

The aim of this contract is to support evidence-based decision making and enhanced data use at the subnational level. By supporting both national and subnational health teams, the consultant is expected to facilitate more effective and efficient planning, management, and implementation, with emphasis on continuous learning in data use at the subnational level. By working with UNICEF Uganda PCA partners, zonal offices, and GOU national and subnational health teams, collection of community level data will be enhanced and thereafter integrated into national systems and used for insights for improved outcomes for vulnerable children and families in Uganda.

The assignment involves the following:

Major Tasks

1. Liaise closely with MOH Division of Health Information and Community Health Department, UNICEF Uganda zonal teams and PCA partners to understand priorities, and thereafter identify district health teams to support with evidence-based planning and monitoring with focus on community systems. Through engagement with MOH, PCA partners and zonal offices, create approach to district visits which will be limited to UNICEF’s 29 focal districts. Plan must cover status of community health worker registry use and identify challenges in its implementation.
2. Complete district visits in focal areas as determined in scoping from task no.1. and in doing so ensure that quarterly VHT review meetings have been or are being planned and conducted, with a plan for VHT reports to be compiled, analyzed and shared with the DHOs, MOH and other stakeholders through DHIS2, on a quarterly basis with emphasis on iCCM commodity data management and sustaining past gains in iCCM and renewing this focus as necessary.
3. Collaborate closely with GF iCCM implementing sub-recipients through TASO as principle recipient (PR) for community specific engagements that provide community level data into DHIS2 as reflected in C19RM and DHI priorities. Coordinate with PCA partners and zonal office teams and follow internal UNICEF consultations and MOH programmatic teams’ concurrence.
4. Support district health teams (DHTs) and biostatisticians to identify gaps for community health data tools and engage with partners to mobilize resources for support in provision of data tools for community health.
5. Capture lessons learned from Ministry of Local Government (MoLG) disbursements to village covid task force (VCTF) teams by liaising with community engagement strategic committee, (MoLG) and districts. Upon consultation with subnational teams, develop a report that must include documentation of successes, challenges and clear gaps of VCTF model and must include how data was captured, how and where it was reported.
6. Follow progress of CEHS app integration of community data into DHIS2.
7. Collaborate closely with GF iCCM implementing sub-recipients through TASO as principal recipient (PR) for community specific engagements that provide community level data into DHIS2 as reflected in C19RM and DHI priorities.
8. Coordinate with PCA partners and zonal office teams and follow internal UNICEF consultations and MOH programmatic teams’ concurrence.
9. Continue support to use of community health worker registry (CHWR) for VHTs by the district teams in UNICEF focal districts. In consultation with UNICEF and MOH, assess status of community health worker registry (CHWR) by documenting district coverage of VHTs in CHWR, gaps, challenges, and suggested way forward for improved implementation.
10. Follow continued support to community level data integration into DHIS2 and CEHS app from all potential sources (HMIS 006/007/097b, VHT activity book, etc.) in anticipation of documenting increase in community data uptake.
11. Support continuity of essential health services amidst COVID-19 to ensure sustained service utilization through gap identification and follow-up of provided recommendations during district presentations at biweekly CEHS pillar. Work with district health officer and biostatisticians for CEHS pillar presentations to ensure these include visualizations from CEHS app.
12. Final deliverables

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have… 

The selected Consultant should have:

Education:  

• Bachelor’s degree in life sciences, public health, medicine and surgery, pharmacy, or similar area of study.
• Master of Public Health is required.
• Postgraduate certificate in monitoring and evaluation is an added advantage.

Work experience:

• At least 5 years of experience working in the public health sector in Uganda required.
• Broad working knowledge of monitoring and evaluation methodology, data quality assurance, analysis reporting and best practices in data dissemination and data use is required.
• Core knowledge of government public health programs, strategies, methods, and processes used to plan, develop, implement and evaluate results of health programs is required.
• Direct work experience with MOH is an added advantage.
• Experience with GOU COVID-19 pillar response is an added advantage.
• Demonstrated experience with DHIS2 and related LMIS is added advantage.
• Knowledge and experience in conducting data quality audits is an added advantage.
• Working knowledge of the objectives and operations of the MOH, or the public health activities of other East African communities, or international donor organizations, is required.
• Should have a good understanding of the power related dynamics at district and community levels.
• Proven ability to analyze, understand and discuss new program design, management and implementation approaches is required.
• Ability to undertake innovations in collaborative broad stakeholder settings.

Competencies:

• Computer skills including MS Office, data processing, information analysis and report writing is required.
• Strong analytical, planning and organizational skills is required.
• Strong skills in interpretation of program monitoring and evaluation data are required.
• Competence with statistical data analysis packages is an added advantage.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, and communication skills, both oral and written is expected.
• Ability to work effectively under minimum supervision and meet strict deadlines is expected.

Language:

• Fluency in English.

Application Procedure/Call for Proposals

Interested candidates are required to submit a technical proposal on how they intend to approach the work. The proposal should include a timeline, and methodology, based on the Terms of Reference. The proposal must also include detailed CV of the consultant, as well as a financial proposal, clearly indicating daily rate for professional fees. The financial proposal must be all-inclusive of all costs (consultancy fees and where applicable air fares, airport transfers, daily living expenses).  This is an international level consultancy and competitive market rates should apply.

Evaluation of Candidate:

The consultant will be competitively selected from a list of applicants based on their past experience of doing similar work (extensive experience in writing donor reports, in compiling and editing annual reports for various UNICEF offices).

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s core values of Commitment, Diversity and Integrity and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

The competencies required for this post are….

View our competency framework at

http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/files/UNICEF_Competencies.pdf

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles.

Remarks:

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.